Mariscos a la Marinara (Seafood Cocktail) y Enchiladas Sencillas (Simple Enchiladas)

Tonight, I began teaching my first cooking class! So far, I only have one student: my sister, Lisa. As it is her New Years resolution to learn to cook, and it is mine (casually), to cook more,  we make a good match. So I carted a box of cooking equipment to my childhood home in Garland, where my sister is living, to make two dishes: Mariscos a la Marinara, and Enchiladas Sencillas. Once again, these are recipes from Diana Kennedy's famous cookbook, The Essential Cuisines of Mexico.

We started at the grocery store, picking through the produce for the best our local grocer had to offer. For those less acquainted with home-cooking, it is  important to learn how to pick produce. Look for the ripe, red tomatoes, the brown but not mushy avocados, the deep green peppers, etc. If you ever find yourself with a cooking student, bring them with you to shop for ingredients! It is helpful, and you can make them carry the basket for you!

Mariscos a la Marinara (Seafood Cocktail) - p. 13

Basically, Mariscos a la Marinara requires a lot of chopping: tomatoes, serranos, white onion, avocado, and cilantro, mixed with shrimps, lime juice, and olive oil, with no cooking involved.What you get is a juicy but crispy, super fresh concoction unlike most seafood cocktails I've tried, mostly because it lacks that distinctive, horseradishy taste of bottled cocktail sauce. I missed that familiar flavor for about two seconds, then couldn't get enough of this stuff. We used cooked shrimps, though Kennedy also recommends using clams or uncooked scallops.

Nice chopping, Lisa!

Enchiladas Sencillas (Simple Enchiladas) - p.59

The tomato sauce:

Broiled tomatoes

Garlic clove

Fresh serranos, toasted

Vegetable oil

Salt

Thick sour cream at room temp.

For this sauce, you will need to use your broiler -- a high-heat oven setting which will give your vegetables a nice char. It is basically grilling, but in the oven. Move your oven rack about 4 inches below (or above) your heat source, and cook the tomatoes and serranos for a few minutes. Be careful not to burn.

Then, in a blender, puree your tomatoes, garlic and serranos until smooth. Heat oil in a skillet, then fry the sauce in the oil for about 5 min. Add salt and remove from heat. Stir sour cream into the sauce once it has cooled a bit. 

"Nom nom" sauce

The enchiladas

Vegetable oil for frying

Corn tortillas

Scrambled eggs, or cooked, shredded chicken (we used chicken)

White onion

Heat oil in skillet, and quickly fry tortillas, about 5 seconds each side. Drain on paper towels, then stack. Dip tortillas into the sauce, spoon chicken and onions onto tortillas, then roll. Sauce, sprinkle with remaining onion, and cover with cheese. 

Bake in oven about 10 minutes, then voila! 

We loved these enchiladas, especially that good creamy sauce! Good wine, great food, and even better company -- a perfect night of cooking :) I wonder what we'll make for next month's class?

- Little Chef TX